Eastbourne man dies in A23 tragedy

Southbound traffic queues on the A23 after the fatal incident at Pyecombe. The northbound carriageway was completely closed. Picture Dianne Jones.

Published:16:00Wednesday 05 October 2011

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A MAN in his 50s from Eastbourne died in a car crash on the busy A23 in the early hours of yesterday morning (Tuesday).

The man, who has not yet been named, was driving a van northbound on the A23 at Pyecombe at 5.55am when another van driver travelling in the opposite carriageway crashed into a lamp post which then fell on to the van.

The driver from Eastbourne was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash and the road was closed for several hours while accident investigators tried to piece together what happened.

It is believed the driver of the van travelling southbound lost control of his vehicle, crashed through the central reservation, knocked the lamp post over onto the unsuspecting van driver.

A 56-year-old man from Crawley has been arrested on suspicion of death by dangerous driving. He suffered minor injuries.

The northbound carriageway was completely closed and only one lane was open southbound while road policing officers trawled the scene, however, both carriageways were later fully reopened.

Anyone who witnessed the collision or saw the Renault vans prior to the incident is asked to contact police on 0845 60 70 999 quoting Operation Waltham.